Researching where to stay next May...

We are looking for the ';old charm'; of the orignial hotels...i.e. The Willard, Hay Adams, Jefferson, etc. A little disheartened by some reveiws of these older hotels. This is purely a leisure trip to sightsee the museums, memorials, etc. Need central locale with good dining options. Hotel must be clean and charming.

Researching where to stay next May...

Since it appears that you are looking at staying in a 4-diamond property, you could consider The Fairmont, 2401 M St., NW. This hotel is within easy walking distance to the Foggy Bottom Metro station. Another 4-diamond property to consider--Hotel Monaco, 700 F Street, NW. This hotel is in an historic building and is right by the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station.

Researching where to stay next May...

Renaissance Mayflower is a historic building/hotel. It%26#39;s right at the white house, and other museums and shops.

Hotel Washington is on 15th Street across from the white house and walking distance to the mall and some of the museums. It%26#39;s a pretty nice hotel, not really in the restaurant shopping area afterhours but it%26#39;s a quick train ride or cab ride anywhere you need to go. They also have a nice rooftop restaurant that is good.

Hi:

A couple more places to consider:

Hotel Monticello in Georgetown. It%26#39;s slightly further from metro than the Fairmount (which I agree is another good choice), but still very conveniently located (shuttles and buses nearby if you don%26#39;t want to walk) and there are lots of dining options in Georgetown.

St. Gregory Hotel - good location between Dupont and Georgetown.

Otherwise, I also think the Hotel Monaco would be a good one to look into. The location is great, the building is nice, but I%26#39;m not sure if the rooms will be charming as Kimpton tends to be more contemporary, but check the reviews.

Enjoy your trip!

';Old Charm'; and ';Modern Conveniences'; seem mutually exclusive, like trying to book a cruise on a modern ocean liner! :-) You can have the ocean liner experience, but that means sleeping in 1950-era staterooms with 1950-era amenities. On the other hand, you can sail on the Freedom of the Seas and all of its modern conveniences, but you%26#39;re certainly not going to experience that ';ocean liner'; feel.

It%26#39;s going to be a trade-off -- how much ';old charm'; do you really want? The Mayflower is certainly a historic place, but I found their rooms to be stodgy, same goes for the Capital Hilton and Hotel Washington. On the other hand, the Willard and the JW Marriott are modern and convenient, but lack the old-style charm. I like the Monaco - it%26#39;s in an older building (1890%26#39;s), but it%26#39;s newly renovated and the glitzy interior should make somebody from Vegas feel right at home! :-) Check out the photos on TripAdvisor and see what I mean.